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WAVES
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF WAVES
WAVE: It is an energy carrying disturbance propagated through a medium or space by local progressive
disturbance of the medium but without the overall movement of the medium itself.
DISPLACEMENT – DISTANCE GRAPH
(a) Amplitude (A): It is the maximum displacement of any point (particles) in a wave from the rest
position.
(b) Wavelength(λ): It is the distance between two successive crests or troughs OR It is the minimum
distance in which a wave tries to repeats itself.
(c) Frequency(f): It is the number of waves generated by a source in a second OR It is the number of
waves passing a point in a second.
(d) Speed(v): It is the distance travelled per unit time by a wave.
(e) Wave Front: These are points that are in phase (Peaks in a transverse wave and compressions in
a longitudinal wave).
WAVE EQUATION
The speed, frequency and wavelength for any set of waves are linked by the equation.
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Where v = speed (m/s)
f= frequency (Hz)
= wavelength (m)
DISPLACEMENT-TIME GRAPH
(a) Period(T) : It is the time taken for one complete oscillation or one wavelength.
T= or f=
Where f = frequency (Hz)
T = Period (s)
TYPES OF WAVES
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The obvious distinction between waves is based on the way they travel. There are two types of waves
namely transverse and longitudinal.
(I) TRANSVERSE: Each point on the wave vibrates at right angles to the direction in which the
wave is travelling e.g. water waves, Electromagnetic waves (Radio, Infrared, Ultraviolet,
Gamma, microwaves and x-rays), secondary waves(s-waves).
(ii) LONGITUDINAL: Each point on the wave vibrates parallel to the direction of the wave. The
points actually move together (compression) and then further apart (rarefaction) e.g. Sound
waves, primary waves (P- waves).
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1 (a) Fig.1.1 shows the graph of the variation of the displacement of a wave with distance along
the wave at a particular time.
Fig.1.1
State the values for
(i) the amplitude of the wave …………………………
(ii) the wavelength of the wave ……………………………………… [2]
(b) Fig.1.2 shows the graph of the variation of the displacement of the same wave with time at a
particular point along the wave.
Fig.1.2
State values for
(i) the time for one complete cycle (Period T) ………………………
(ii) the frequency f of the wave ……………………………… [2]
(c) Calculate the speed of the wave drawn in Figs.1.1 and 1.2.
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2 Fig.2.1 shows lines that represent the peaks of water waves produced when a stone is
dropped into a pond.
Fig.2.1
(a) What type of wave is the water wave formed in the pond?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..[1]
(b) The distance between point S and point T is 1.0 m.
(i) Calculate the wavelength of the waves.
Wavelength = ……………………………………….[1]
(ii) The wave peak at point S takes 2 seconds to reach point T.
Determine the speed of the waves.
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Speed = ……………………………………………[2]
